The New Zealand cricket team will take on Afghanistan in Match 16 of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 on Wednesday, October 18 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. They are unbeaten in the tournament so far, winning all of their three matches, and are placed second on the points table with six points and an NRR of 1.604.
On the other hand, Afghanistan scripted history in their recent match of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. They defeated England by 69 runs on the back of a solid bowling performance at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. This was their only second win in the history of the tournament. They will be riding high on confidence ahead of the upcoming match against New Zealand.
In this article, we take a look at the key player battles for the New Zealand vs Afghanistan match of the ICC ODI World Cup.
ICC Cricket World Cup 2023: Key Player Battles for NZ vs AFG
Devon Conway vs Rashid Khan
New Zealand opener Devon Conway is in terrific form in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. He kicked off the tournament with an outstanding century against England at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. He is the second-leading run-scorer in the tournament so far, scoring 229 runs at an average of 114.50. His match-up with Rashid Khan will be an interesting contest to watch. Rashid hasn’t had a decent tournament so far. He has taken five wickets in three matches. His ability to outfox even the best in the world makes him a dangerous opponent.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz vs Trent Boult
Rahmanullah Gurbaz hasn’t played against Trent Boult in International cricket. However, the pacer has dismissed him twice in T20 cricket in three matches. He will be raring to go against the Afghanistan batter in the upcoming game. Rahmanullah is in good form and has scored 148 runs in three matches, including an 80 against England in the recent game.
Rachin Ravindra vs Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.